All of us live in our own bubbles of reality. Our experiences and gained knowledge impact our understanding of the world. Equally, we tend to categorise new information by what we already know. There is always a slippery slope to what we believe is true or possibly not. Are you someone who quickly jumps to conclusions? Assumptions aren’t per se a terrible thing. They become a problem if they distort our reality. Hence, challenging your assumptions can be a handy practice to distinguish what is true from what is not.

Furthermore, I want to highlight why challenging prevailing assumptions is now more important than ever in working towards sustainability.

Why your personal expectations sometimes get in the way

Our personal expectations are often in the way when we perceive reality. Imagine that everyone is wearing glasses. The cleanliness of the glasses depends on everyone’s personal experience. In fact, we think that our glasses are the cleanest ones, in particular when we are confident in a subject. Perceiving the world differently reflects our diversity of minds. The conflict arises when we assume someone’s intentions through our own glasses.

Assumptions make you believe that you are in complete understanding of the situation. Unfortunately, the world is too complex to make such assumptions.

Without a doubt, our perspectives matter, and simultaneously others’ perspectives matter too. Many issues arise when assumptions and beliefs are forced upon others. By doing so, we undermine the autonomy and dignity of other people’s beliefs and choices. 

It’s a common trap we fall into. The thought that it is unfair to assume another person’s reality because we do not walk in their shoes has helped me to avoid this sort of trapt. We do not know what they have been through. Therefore, there is immense value for everyone to break out of noxious or harmful patterns and work on making viable assumptions or no assumptions at all. 

Why it is important to leave assumptions behind

Social media does not add value and smudges the glasses through which we view the world. 

Conflicts arise from different breeding grounds. One of those grounds are assumptions. Our world is globally connected, but we have not adapted to the diversity of this open world. We too quickly perceive information as true even though we are not directly involved. 

For example, social media provides us with massive floods of information tailored to our media use patterns. It impacts our ability to understand what is real and what is not. Misinformation is a social crisis that can lead to massive complications. Now more than ever, misinformation has the power to change the world for the worse.

Naturally, we try to make sense of the world around us. That’s why we have a diversity of religions, philosophies and fairytales. Consequently, we are influenced by our background, but we need to consider other realities. Assumptions can easily distort the truth. Imagine people with distorted worldviews running countries and making decisions that impact us. It is a reality and it is not a beneficial one.

Autopiloting our assumptions puts us at risk of self-sabotage. The chance of misguidance is high. Therefore, challenging your assumptions is a crucial step to stop sabotaging yourself and others. 

Assumptions are not reality. Therefore, we need to work on mastering our assumptions as they shape us, our actions, behaviours and feelings. Incredibly, this skill is not gaining more attention. 

Consider that assumptions hinder dreams, block progress, distort realities, harm relationships, slay creativity, set self-imposed limits, construct self-fulfilling harmful prophecies and shape undesirable pathways. 

Fortunately, we can change this now.

Benefits of challenging your assumptions

Challenging your assumptions can change the world – for the better. When you remove the fog from your mental vision, you reveal real potential and opportunities to yourself. Some of those opportunities are:

Unlocking higher creativity. A clear mind allows more possibilities to scoop creativity into your daily processes. Assumptions usually prohibit creative flow because we get stuck in patterns that block our minds. Challenging your assumptions can create an avalanche of creative outpourings.

Finding innovative solutions. Our world needs more innovative thinkers (and they don’t need to be technology-driven). Sustainability increasingly profits from solutions that solve the problems at their root. The more we deal thoroughly with reality, the better we can put our solutions into real action.

Increasing your impact and fulfilment. None of us want our lives to go down the drain. Most of us want to create a positive impact. By challenging your assumptions, you increase your capability to do specifically that: become the impact. 

We underestimate the importance of understanding the world and its systems. Finding your place in the world and pursuing a purpose that fulfils you is directly linked to creating an impact. That’s why working towards sustainability goals is remarkably valuable for all of us. It enables us to create a world that benefits us all.

Challenging your assumptions is not difficult, but it requires some training

Opening up to new possibilities. Assumptions have the power to paralyse us from taking action. All of us picture a better life for ourselves, but sometimes we get in our own way. Being careful with our assumptions enables us to take risks that can easily turn into opportunities. 

Shattering misconceptions. We do other people injustice when we assume their feelings, beliefs, rationals, behaviours etc. You want to be as well understood as anyone else, so it benefits you to identify your misconceptions. Faulty thinking about other people’s intentions causes more trouble than good. 

Expanding healthy thinking patterns. Unhealthy thinking habits are in the way of creating real change for our benefit. We depend on the world around us and the world around us depends on the way we perceive it. Healthy thinking entails looking at a situation from as many angles as you can and considering the positive, negative and neutral parts. 

Outside the box thinking. This one is my favourite. Challenging your assumptions enables you to develop the ability to imagine the world the way you want it to be, and find the right actions to achieve it. New perspectives expand our understanding of the world and help us to not jump too quickly to faulty conclusions.

How to challenge your own assumption patterns

It all starts with you. If you want to be perceived and understood well by others, you need to reciprocate. These skills make it easier for others to perceive you the way you want to be perceived. This knowledge helps you to develop yourself, but also supports others to perceive you as the person you are.

A simple way to start is by noticing. Notice your assumptions and notice other people’s patterns of making assumptions. No one will ever be free from making assumptions, but we choose how much power we give unconfirmed information.

The next step is to question your reality. I don’t want you to fall into a spiral of self-doubt and accusation. Questioning reality is about paying attention to systems that influence your life. Our well-being depends heavily on well-functioning systems. Therefore, it is beneficial to identify the different elements in your life which strongly impact you. 

Your mindset plays an important role

Challenge your assumptions by adjusting your mindset. It is easy to jump to conclusions, but it takes training to pause and check the credibility of your hasty conclusions. Putting yourself into another person’s shoes is difficult, but it helps you draw realistic conclusions. 

My favourite and often underestimated tactic: ask. If you are unsure about the other person’s intentions, asking for more clarification and information is safe. Nevertheless, be conscious that the person might not fully reveal themselves to you. And that is okay. Trust is not easy to establish, but sincere interest will bring you further in your relationships.

Often, we react before we reflect, causing us and others a lot of trouble. Challenging your assumptions requires lifelong learning. There will be many different triggers throughout your life which you should avoid. Emotions can take over in situations where you need a cool head. 

Our lives are a result of the choices we make. You can decide to react positively. Your behaviour reflects more than you realise, so making sure you create a positive impression and impact is crucial.

The next tactic in challenging your assumptions is to empower and equip everyone on your way. We all have our struggles, and we all have bad days. All of us make mistakes. Working with others to generate a shared understanding of the situation, allows you to resolve issues quickly and more satisfactorily. 

By building a shared understanding you can achieve the results you want while empowering other people to contribute to the best outcome. Avoiding conflict is easier when you clarify your expectations in the first place and don’t let others guess what you want or need. 

Challenging your assumptions towards sustainable development

Conflict is all around us, on a local as well as global scale. Instead of assuming the worst, see the conflict as an opportunity to grow. Sometimes this is the best we can do because conflicts give us choices that can change our direction. 

The global challenges we face are terrifying, but they also open the windows of opportunities for change. To change the world within and around us. Now more than ever we have the choice to change our lives in the face of crises.

Reimagine Sustainability Pinterest

Related:

10 Simple Reasons Why It’s Not Too Late For Sustainability

Imagine how unbelievable it is that simple people like you and me can make a difference. Sustainability gives us the possibilities and opportunities. We can create lives that contribute to the well-being of all of us and the planet. We are not alone. 

Making a difference doesn’t need to be complicated

Many people want to make a difference, but don’t know how. They assume that what they can achieve would be too insignificant. But I want to challenge this belief by saying: Does it matter if it’s insignificant, why not try it anyway? What if you change the world of one person for the better? Is this still invaluable? Do you assume that your decisions don’t matter? Because all our decisions matter every single day. 

Copied from one of my previous articles How An Improved Definition Of Sustainability Will Actually Save The World:

Luckily, sustainable development is a global goal – we are all in this together. If we work together, we will be able to alleviate the symptoms or even defeat the crises. Are you not convinced yet? Apparently, we make 35,000 choices per person every day. Multiply that by the Earth’s population of almost 8 billion people, then we collectively make 28,000,000,000,000 (trillion) decisions every 24 hours. Let this number sink in for a moment […]

Open yourself up to the best you can achieve and assume the best.